When it Rains it Pours
by secolo.strage
Summary: Modern-day. Klaus and Caroline were together. Two volatile, passionate, misbegotten months together and one year apart. They've met again, but this time they don't have each other all to themselves. Enemies disguised as friends and family disguised as blood all take their toll on these lovers fighting each other and the world for the chance of elusive happiness. Rated M.
1. (i) First Fog

First Fog

..

I swallow the heated liquor as I glance down the shined maple of the crowed bar, scanning the unfamiliar faces until my eyes land on him, seeing him. It was a kind of pain I never thought I'd have to experience ever again. I quickly turn my head so that he cannot recognize the desperate wanting that must be painted on to my features right now. My hands shake around the table top, nerves firing simultaneously. Familiarity, desire, anxiety. A forgotten keep of searing memories slide through my mind like a flash of heat lightning running, electrifying, through my body. My throat burns equal to the blush high on my cheeks, and I stand up on shaky legs to carry me away.

Truth be told I had been aware of him the second he walked into the packed club. There hadn't been a girl on his arm, but that wouldn't last for long. He's the ultimate. My entire body had always been aware of him, whether I liked it or not. I studiously forced my eyes not to search for him like I once had the right to. There was no way I was going to be that girl. We had ended things, quietly, a little over a year ago, and there was definitely no way I would pin after him like I'm sure he's had girls do, and like my traitorous self desperately wants to.

Really, it had only been a brief amount of time that I had stayed with the man. And I'm sure for him, I had been an insignificant blot of passion on his record, and I relied on this as I made my way back to my friends. There was no way he'd recognize me, no way. I was different than I had been.

To be clear, there was a time when I looked into those enchanting eyes and saw my future, what I thought would be our future. It hurt, badly, to see him again.

"Sorry guys, the bartender was taking forever." I mumble as I slide back into our booth. I met him in a booth like this. My friends shrug easily. I had been sent on a mission to get more drinks for the girls, but my obvious distraction derailed that by a mile. When had he not derailed all my well thought out plans?

My mind wanders as the conversation around me continues with easy lilt and, eventually, flowing drinks. I knock back a few more and am able to recover from my temporary slip up, my head bobbing to the music and a smile returning to my face. Must I be this bothered? Hell no.

"Caroline! Caroline! Come on, I have to go to the bathroom." Elena whispers in my ear, and I grin, fairly faded at this point. The world is spinning at my feet, and I'm still sitting. We stumble out of the booth without the slightest amount of elegance and I walk her to the bathroom, her arm around my shoulders. As I wait for her to finish up inside I lean against the wall, my ahead abuzz and fuzzy. It's then that I see him approaching me.

He's wearing a leather jacket. Usual for him, way too enticing for me. He wears his clothing like a model would, with confident and grace, except no one possesses the sexual litheness that he does. Do I have beer goggles on? He looks delicious right now, in his approach. My heart pounds. I stare. I could eat him up. I used to.

His face, once so dear and exciting to me, is now a mask that I have trouble reconciling with. His hair is shorter now, but I can still see the unruly curls that I knew imperiously peeking up. The lighter color of his hair does nothing to improve the darkness of his disposition. The stubble that used to cross his jaw is absent, and his features are sharper, leaner. Has it really only been a year? My body aches as we make eye contact and it feels like ages have past since I've felt that stare on me.

As if my body can recognize that an alpha on the prowl is advancing, it thrums alive. It, I, crave him. I've always been like that around him, as willing and ready as he is for that elusive connection that we had shared, and well. Klaus Mikaelson knows his way around a woman.

"Are you going to pretend you don't know me?" He asks, and I want to faint at the sound of his voice. His accent is by this time very diluted, but that seductive lilt, combined with his signature dark tones, is unmistakable. He cocks his head to the side as he appraises me, and I sigh.

"Hi, Klaus." I manage in response and a slow, almost shy grin crosses him before it's gone. My grin, I used to think possessively. Though I learned that nothing about him could be owned. With Klaus Mikaelson, you have to keep a keen eye or you'll miss something. A hunter never rests.

"It's been a long time."

"Yes it has." I can't tell if this encounter is even affecting him, but I'm quivering. He comes from a long line of schooled upper class patricians that never revealed their thoughts or desires.

"What are you doing in the city again?" He asks, and I ponder how to even answer this. He thought I left. I hadn't, I had just grown incredibly good at avoiding. When I left him, which make no mistake I did, I didn't want to be burned with all of the images of him with other women I was guaranteed to witness if I went to any of his frequented spots. I didn't want to end up the scorned woman that stalked the man who was too good for her. Klaus marks a territory well, and I avoided them this whole time.

"I never left." I don't want him to misinterpret my answer though, because to him I was gone. I still want to be. His eyes light up. I see this now as he does: an exciting chase. I've created a game.

"Are you going to come home with me?" He questions and demands and I almost immediately want to say yes. He steps closer to me, his lean body only inches away, and I want to lean in too. I don't. Forcing that part of me back, the part that itches and cries to connect and submit to his will, and well, him, takes a serious amount of effort, especially in my current state of intoxication. I look up into the challenge of his eyes.

"Quietly?" I ask, my heart still pounding. Where's Elena? I bless her drunkenness that is most likely holding her up in the bathroom, because I can't finish with him yet. I haven't finished deciding if I'm the cat or the mouse today.

"I don't care how you come." He smirks and I smile. "But you will."

"Maybe I've changed," I say, raising my chin. There's a flush to my cheeks, I can feel it. I'm enjoying this way too much. Our brief interaction has been the most fun I've had since, well, since him.

"I can tell that you have." He murmurs quietly, his eyes running across my body. I take the chance away from his sharp gaze to actually breathe.

"Are you going to give up?" My addled brain is questioning him now. Does he remember all that went down between us? I do. Picture perfect, like his damn smile. Sadly, I don't think he does.

"No." His blunt answer is very typical of him. Klaus Mikaelson never really gave a shit about pretenses or societal niceties, and I had like that. Damn it, I still do. I shouldn't be, but I'm readjusting to the seductiveness of his accent, sliding into the comfortability of knowing you're going to be laid tonight, and very well.

"Klaus. You have beautiful girls surrounding you all day. Why me?" My drunken mouth has let this one slip, and his eyebrows raise fractionally. At first when I had met him this had been a huge turn on, that other girls wanted what I had. That his track record was well known and documented had set up a kind of challenge that I could conquer. Then I became sad with the realization that even if I left, I could be easily replaced by some six foot tall goddess, but there would never be another Klaus for me.

"You're beautiful." He asserts. Some how he had always known when I needed to hear it. "And because I want you."

I tilt my head.

"Mm, not good enough." I grin and he shakes his head, and then I notice over his shoulder Elena looking for me. I glance up again into that handsome, devastating face and inside I really do want to give in to his demands. But isn't the chase half the fun?

"It was good seeing you, Klaus." I murmur and a little v forms between his brows as he frowns. I've taken the upper hand. My favorite wayward pastime. I'm walking away, and then he catches my arm. His touch, after all these years, feels like sliding into satin sheets at home. Cool and calculating.

"When am I going to see you again?" He asks and I like that hes desperate enough to grab for me.

"You'll just have to wait to find out." I answer teasingly. He tugs a little harder on my arm.

"I've been waiting." He says, and his tone has almost taken on a serious, driving edge. That's a sound I've heard before. I keep it in my head that I'm supposed to be leaving him wanting more, not the other way around.

"Patience." I say and smile. There were multiple times in our shared past, mostly in bed, when he'd said that to me. A familiar smile crosses those to die for lips. When Klaus smiles, you do. It isn't something that you can help or that you think about, he's just so damn attractive and that smile melts everything in its path. Including my insides.

"That's not something I have."

"I guess you're going to have to learn." I say and pull away from his reach, towards Elena who still hasn't spotted me. I'm itching to look back. My face is flushed, my blood pressure is probably soaring, and somewhere deep inside me, I can feel a buzz that's waiting to be answered.

Damn him.

..

 _New story._ _It's been a while._

 _xx._


	2. (ii) If You Could Swim in Oceans Past

If You Could Swim in Oceans Past

..

Akin to a sucker punch, I am wobbly on my knees and erratic in my thoughts. Klaus had a way of weaving himself into the very fiber of my being when he was with me, and then with elegance and sensual torture, leaving me grasping at the fringes of his presence when he left. It didn't matter who did the leaving, and maybe that was why the break up had stung so much. I didn't want to leave him back then, and I didn't want to walk away now. But self-preservation is screaming against the man that holds so much power over me. My only hope is that I'm drunk enough to forget this in the morning. Unlikely, since time had done nothing to erase my memories in the year past.

My head finally hits the back of the car seat when the girls decide they've had their fill for today, and the cabbie eases his way intot the heavy midnight traffic of the city that's still awake.

Like me. As I said, damn him. My whole body feels alive and entirely too responsive to seeing him again. I had spent a long time, and two lovers, convincing myself that I could feel this way with anyone. I could feel like I was going to implode if I wasn't touched in a couple of seconds, like my head would start spinning if he wasn't with me, like my world would stop if we ended, I could do that with anyone. It didn't have to be Klaus, I told myself.

Lies in ignorance are such a beautiful thing, because I had believed them. With distance and practiced control I had managed to fool myself into thinking that Klaus wasn't someone special to me, that I hadn't been connected to him on a baser level than anyone else before or after. Two minutes in his presence has blown that to pieces and I'm suffering in the aftermath.

My riotous reaction to seeing him, looking like sex on legs and with a mouth to match, revealed my insecurity to the powers of his persuasion. He knew I was putty in his hands, and that yes, I had missed him. Had he missed me?

It felt wrong to pit myself against him. But the last time I had him all to myself. He was my secret that I enjoyed ravenously, but told no one about. They had been the happiest weeks of my life, until they weren't. I knew that both of us had grown too much to have another private affar. If I was going to have him again, I would have him anywhere. And this time, would be mine exclusively.

"Caroline, are you okay?" Elena nudges me from the other back seat and I manage a smile, shrugging. She has a look of concern on her face, and I'm hoping she didn't see me with Klaus. I don't want to have to explain him tonight, or ever.

"Yeah, I'm just spacing." I say and she nods agreeably. I face the window again, allowing the world to become a blur of colored lights and moving bodies. It's a perfect autumn evening, crisp and cool, and people are enjoying their Friday night. My mind wanders again.

I hadn't been like myself when I was with him, in the best way possible. I stopped worrying, letting him do that, and I was carefree, free in general. I had spent my life up until him concerning myself with every detail of every aspect of everything that happened, driving me and others mad in the process. When you're with a man that makes you feel like the details don't matter and just the moments do, how can he be wrong for you? He let me take whatever I wanted whenever I wanted and I had returned the favor. The amount of time I spent in Klaus Mikaelson's bed has been marked as some of the happiest moments of my life. When I had first met him it had been like an electric shock that never ended.

I arrive home, dropping Elena off at her apartment, but my mind is everywhere else than where my body is right now.

..

My head thrown back in excited laughter, I danced the night away. I was fresh on my last semester of college, and I couldn't be happier to be so close to my future, my real future. With a nod to my friends we walked off the dance floor, our limbs lax and sweaty from the hours swaying about. Bonnie, one of my best friends and roommate, had her arm wrapped around her new boy toy, Dyan. He was an executive at some boring sounding company that I hadn't listened to the name of, and supposedly he had brought friends. It had been a while since my last boyfriend, or fling for that matter.

"Klaus, Marcel! Get your asses over here." Dyan suddenly called to two very, seriously attractive men standing across the bar. My eyes were riveted to the one standing to the left. His eyes were trained to me.

Holy shit. Talk about attractive. His hair was the color of overturned wet sand, the cut of it still revealing unruly curls. His jaw was sharp, and his facial structure reminded me of a hungry wolf. The stubble covering his jaw did not soften the edge. And then his eyes. Seriously I could get lost in them. When we first met they were a stormy blue, a look I would become familiar with. But I would learn that they were like oceans, capable of reflecting my own cerulean or taking on a gray, soft edge. Or even daring to a turbulent blue. He looked like the kind of man that women drove themselves crazy over.

I was throbbing with anticipation like I had no right to as he made his was way over to us, his simple jeans and leather jacket only accentuating the fact that he walked with a confident sensuality that made me think very dirty thoughts. When he finally reached us I watched him scan over our party with a discernment that caused a beg for approval, then landed on me. His scrutiny made me shiver.

Dyan began introducing us to his two friends, who turned out to be coworkers, and I couldn't wait for my turn. He held out his hand and I placed mine in his, and then his lips were on my skn. It turned to fire with the heated, quick touch and I'm sure color rose to my cheeks.

"And Caroline, this is Klaus Mikaelson." Dyan casually wrapped his arm around my shoulders and whispered, "and my boss." My eyebrows rose and Klaus had taken on a stony expression.

"A pleasure, Caroline." I wanted to scream. There was aboslutely no reason his voice should sound like that! Like melted honey poured over Belgian chocolate or something glorious like that. I wanted to indulge. He had an accent, which only helped him in having the best possible voice for phone sex. It was deep, raspy, but still with a lilt that I knew would drive me insane.

I wanted this man in my bed.

"Yours or mine?" I asked finally in response, and a slow smirk spread across his lips. I was sure with that look that he knew how to give pleasure, and a great deal of it, too. So did I.

"Can I buy you a drink?" He asked and immediately I knew his intentions, to pull me away from the group that had long forgotten about us. I was only too eager. I took his hand again at his offer, the touch searing me, and he pulled me away from the others. The next second his hand was on my lower back as we slid into a very secluded booth made for two and he tagged down a server.

"Bourbon on the rocks, and vodka soda for her." He said and the woman fluttered for a moment before writing it down and walking away. Her reaction to him irritated me. Was that what I looked like to him? Damn it but that's the way I felt.

"How do you know what I'm drinking?" I asked, facing the Adonis next to me. His arm was oh so casually draped over the top of the booth, brushing my shoulders, pulling me closer. I didn't mind. Up close I could see that a number of necklaces were peeking out underneath his black t-shirt, resting on pronounced collar bones. He also surprisingly had a small smattering of freckles across his nose. In this proximity I could smell him, a scent of natural mask and spice and everything intended to entice. He was hot, and his eyes were on me.

"I noticed you an hour ago, at least. I keep track of what interests me." He said casually and my brows rose again. I liked the thought of him watching me. How could I not have noticed him? "You're quite entertaining, love." Of course I am, with my most likely embarassing dancing. I shifted in my seat. I enjoyed the thought that I had captured his attention without really trying. Ideas of him watching me doing other things ran through my mind.

"I'm sure I am." I picked up the drink that the server had set down, as did he. I watched him swallow the liquid, watched his Adam's apple bob and his jaw flex and I didn't think I'd ever seen something as blatantly attractive as watching him do that, do anything really.

He set the glass down, me watching the whole time. His hands. I have a thing for hands.

He smiled then, as though he knew I had been staring. His smile, dear god. It lightened features that were otherwise darkened and I went weak in the knees at the sight. I smiled in return, unabashed in my admiration.

After that, I was a goner.

I fell into our conversation like you ease into perfect-fitting gossamer lingerie. Highly aware. Klaus Mikaelson is attentive, intriguing, and absolutely magnetic.

I told him I was almost done with college, that I'm only 22. His eyebrows rose a fraction at that. Close to my guess, he was 27. Older, do I need to say more? _Experienced_ flits entertainingly through my mind.

"Do you want to see something?" He asked of me after a moment of silence, his eyes glittering in the semi darkness of our booth. I downed the rest of my drink and noddded. He slid elegantly out of the seating, rising to his full height again, and held out his hand for mine. I accepted and the small wave of excitement I felt was what I was certain would be just a precursor.

I followed him as he led me to an elevator tucked into the side of the massive bar, meant for actual guests of the hotel. We were at Hotel Mains, of which I'd never been to before. My friends and I somehow snuck in with flirtatious looks to the bouncers. It was mainly for the upper class of wealthy urbane magnates and the like, not college students. We entered the car when it arrived, an elegant couple stepping out first, and then we were the only two people in it. My eagerness ratcheted up as the doors closed.

I glanced at our reflection in the murky mirrors, and couldn't help but admire how we looked together. My mind drifted to how we'd look together in bed. He stood with a confidence that told me he's good at it. I tried not to be overwhelmed by the tension I felt in such a small space.

He took a key from the inside pocket of his jacket, turning it in the slot below the usual buttons. Where did he get that?

"Where exactly are we going?" I asked, my voice a little husky from where the direction of my thoughts ran. He turned to face me, leaning against te wall opposite me in a very casual manner, as we continued to climb levels. The elevator didn't stop.

"Somewhere I think you'll like."

"Should I be a little scared?" I asked, but there were no caution bells ringing.

"Don't worry." He paused, appraising my body once more. I liked it when I normally didn't. "I only bite when I'm asked." I have to play it off casually so I merely mirrored his action of sweeping my eyes over his body, but I was buzzing.

"And where did you get that key? Do you own this place or something?"

"Do you always ask so many questions?" I smiled, he's catching on.

"Yes." At that he stepped closer to me, so that we were only inches apart and my back was to the wall, and ran a delicate pressure with one finger down my exposed arm. I shivered.

"So, Caroline, you're curious. About everything? Or just me?" He voice was nothing like I'd ever heard, and every time he talked I became more entranced by his spell.

"Maybe I'll let you find out." I whispered, then leaned forward to bite lightly down on his earlobe. It was a daring move, but he made me feel like that. "Maybe I won't." He placed a very warm hand on my hip, and I could feel it burning through my dress. I pulled back to stare up into searing, sensational eyes.

"I can see you bite even without request." He said with a manner that was both light and dark at the same time, an extreme I would become familiar with. Despite myself, I blushed. He ran a finger down the side of my cheek.

"I don't think I'll ever figure you out." He said with perfect clarity and I was shocked. Penny for his thoughts? I wished. This man was an enigma that I would love to spend a couple days figuring out. The elevtaor ding released us, mainly me, from the trapped and heated encounter.

We walked out, and to my surprise, I found myself on the roof of the hotel. We were overlooking the city, in all its energetic glory and unproclaimed passion. The view from up here took my breath, as I'm sure he intended. Klaus wrapped an arm around me and we followed a path well decorated with plants and lighting. Leading to an odd staircase, he tagged behind me up and I suddenly identified the source of the odd glow eminating from the roof- its a pool.

I looked back at Klaus to find him staring at me, something dark lurking in his eyes.

"Is this where you bring all your women?" I asked, tilting my head to examine his expression. He gave nothing away, and didn't bother answering me. I bet I didn't want to know the answer.

"Are we going to race?" I asked in trepidation and excitement. He laughed, and its a wonderful sound.

"You want to race me?" He asked and I nodded. I'm an okay swimmer, and something tells me he's better, but I want to challenge him. And I don't mind losing. Sometimes the loser gets rewarded, too.

"No, Caroline, not tonight. We don't have time for that." I faced the pool again, so that I didn't loose myself in his eyes. I suddenly realized his devious plan and grew very warm.

"I don't have a swimming suit."

"Love, neither do I." I paced to the opposite end of the pool and now I could see Klaus' darkening expression through the dim lighting.

"Won't anyone come up here?" He pulled the key from his pocket, flashing it at me.

"Not without this."

"So, swimming naked with a stranger?" I asked bodly. Even just saying it gave me a thrill, with a stranger this good looking. "What kind of girl do you think I am?"

"I'm not that strange." He said with a quick flash of a wicked grin. His charisma was undeniable.

"Oh, I don't know, I haven't figured that out yet." I suddenly yearned for his closeness again. "You expect me to strip for you?"

"I dare you." He eyes were alight with cunning, his jaw set in challenge. Damn him, if I haven't figured him out, he definitely has me. I could never give up a dare. God, I was alive. I teetered on the edge for a moment. I had never done anything like this before.

"You first." I felt daring, bold. It may have been from the alcohol, from my own making, or from him, I wasn't sure, but my nerves were hard wired with arousal and awareness. His hands reached without hesitation to almost casually pull off his leather jacket, moving with a confidence I wanted to explore. There was no rush in his actions, but he was very deliberate, hunting.

I followed by removing my heels.

From there, it was a wager. He removed one, I did another. And in a very short amount of time I was completely stripped of my clothing and undergarments, and so was he. We gazed at each other and I was pleased to find that my imagination was not disappointed. He was very finely built, definite lines and sinewy muscle with a package to match. I was only a little self conscious as his stare swept appreciatively over my body, my skin turning to goosebumps wherever it landed.

I jumped first.

The cold rush of water suddenly surrounding me, pebbling my nipples and coating my aching muscles from too much dancing and too much Klaus, was a very erotic sensation. I held my breath for a moment and watched underwater as another big splash very near me announced Klaus' entrance. I bobbed to the surface. I wrapped my arms around my cold body as Klaus emerged.

Dripping wet, his curls weighted down, his gaze again found mine. I was trapped in a primal stare that seemed to be stripping me down even as I was naked. He floated there for a moment and I backed up so that I was leaning against the lip of the pool, the subtle waves from our jumps lapping provovatively on my breasts. I was actually aching already.

He swam gracefully toward me, his eyes on mine the whole time. I felt like a minnow with a shark. When we were inches apart I reached out with my hands to hold onto his shoulders, a lifeline in dangerous waters. He was still warm to the touch despite the cool air and frigid water.

"Caroline." He murmured, rolling the _r_ in a way I was becoming addicted to, placing one of his hands on the edge next to my head, the other dipping below the water to grip onto the center of my lower back, gently pushing me flush against him.

Without closng my eyes, I leaned forward, my lips open and wanting. He glanced downward for a moment. And then captured me in the most ravenous kiss of my life.

His lips were everything they looked to be; soft, seductive, and arresting. I wrapped my legs wantonly around his lithe torso and pulled him close to me as our mouths melded together, my eyes already closing. My hands moved upwards, gliding across perfect skin from his broad shoulders to his neck from his jaw, aiming for those tempting curls. I pulled once, hard, and he groaned quietly. They're soft.

His own hand slid over my hip, up my side, past my needful breasts, to the back of my neck. The water aided in making his touch feel erotically godlike. There, at the back of my neck, he paused, his hand wrapped around the small space so that he could control and tilt as he pleased. I didn't mind, he was an amazing kisser.

I tightened my legs around his waist, pulling him even closer. Our bodies were aligned like they always should have been, and I was gasping as he pulled away from the kiss. His devilish lips travelled across my face, kissing his way across my jaw. I answered by lightly kneading his shoulders. He paused at my ear.

"You're going to drive me crazy." His voice _was_ driving me crazy. I grabbed his jaw with one hand and pulled him back to my mouth. This time I controlled more of the kiss, my arm wrapping around his back and pulling so that my breasts pushed against his chest. Some primal force was telling me to please him. I wanted to.

I sucked gently on his tongue, and he groaned quietly. I was warm all over from his hands exploring my back, arms, sides, my legs.

Realizing where this was all going and deciding that my alcohol induced state had let me carry this on far enough I pulled gently away. He followed for a moment, our lips separated but hovering, and I was panting with want.

"We can't do this here." I murmured without breath. I'd learned my lesson on being the easy girl on the first night, and there's something that told me Klaus Mikaelson will be fun to mess with a little.

"Jesus." He said, placing a small kiss at the corner of my mouth resignedly. "You're yanking me now?" I smiled slightly.

"I'm pulling a Cinderella." I said, and very regretfully, pulled away from his heated embrace. "But, listen. If you're still interested Monday, I'd love to have a rain check on that race." I grinned as I backtracked to the shallow end, towards the steps. His eyes followed unwaveringly the whole time.

As I headed towards my goal of a graceful escape the water the level lowered and revealed more of my body. I'm sure he could see how hard my nipples were, how flushed I was, how full my breasts were for his attention. It was costing me to walk away. Several orgasms worth.

"Really?" He question was a challenge and a confirmation. I could definitely get this man riled up. He may have me on experience, but its nothing really in comparison to enthusiasm.

"Call me." I said, supremely confident he could find my number. I stepped out of the pool, giving him a chance to check out my ass (thank god I work out), and I grabbed a towl from the rack nearby. Don't leave without a tease.

Slowly, I turned to face him. He was still where I left him in the pool. I ran the towel softly across my body, focusing on the areas where his hands hadn't touched.

"A show before you leave me?" He huskily asked and I smiled in feminine cunning. I payed particular attention to drying my breasts, which he had ignored, and his expression hardened. I ran my fingers through my hair after squeezing it out and then I figured my time was out. I wrapped the towel around me, covering my form from his hungry eyes, and picked up my clothing.

On second thought, I grabbed his underwear with my things and his eyebrows rose, with a smart smirk arresting his mouth.

"Are you stealing from me?"

"Consider it a reward." I said with no idea what I was really doing, teasing a man like this. "And next time I see you, I'll reward you." He groaned and leaned his head back in exasperation. I pushed the button for a car to come up.

"You're going to kill me aren't you?" He asked in a seductively sharp tone. It sounded like a request to try only so he could turn the tables. I entered the elevator once it arrived.

"I could accuse you of the same thing." I said and then the doors closed, leaving that, and something else, hanging.

On the long trip down I shivered with the feeling that I had dodged a hurricane that was still destined to make impact.

Klaus Mikaelson had been made to drive women crazy. `

..

 _A little longer chapter, let me know what you all thing of this little story._

 _xx._


	3. (iii) When the Current Takes You With

When the Current Takes You With

..

He had a sort of power over me. It had been a volatile, passionate two months before I had to cut it off. He had been too much, and I was too in love for me to even consider him not feeling the same way. I had never asked and sometimes when he looked at me a terrible surge of hope would flare, which I would have to spend hours squashing. The pain of what I was so sure would be his denial was not something that I was ready for at 22. There were also other, considerations, that actually made us terrible for each other.

Namely, he's a Mikaelson, and I'm a Forbes.

I had been strong enough to walk away once and stay away, but I don't know that I'll be able to do that again. Just those five minutes that we spent together may just have the sway to pull me back in.

It had been exciting, too exciting to receive his attention. When I first met him, his eyes on me in a bar that was way too nice for me and my college friends, I had grown abuzz all over. Why was this suave, seriously attractive older man smoldering at me? And from then on I was addicted to his attention, I craved it. That wasn't a problem for the duration of our time spent together because he seemed addictied to giving it. It was on the withdrawal when I left him that I realized how deep I had been.

The other factor that made my pulse leap was that he was older, more experienced. When I went to a restaurant with him or anywhere else I felt like we were moving towards something more, like he was capable of that. Like he wouldn't be scared to take the next step, like he wouldn't be scared to do anything. I liked the thought that he was capable of leading me, which I didn't usually want, but there is something about a man who knows when to take control. And when we were in bed, his experience never left me wanting more.

I would find out, if his demeanor hadn't given it away, that Klaus Mikaelson came from money. His family owned a massive exporting company in the U.K. that had spread its wings and influence to America. That was actually why he was in New York in the first place, he was going to start engineering that branch. I was a sucker for a man in a suit, and that's all Klaus wore. Except when looking for a fuck, or actually fucking. Hence why I met him in that damn leather jacket.

I would find out even later that Mikaelson Industries Company is the evil competitor of my father's own shipping business, Forbes Incorporated. I was at dinner with my family, three weeks post our fling, when I found out. My embarassment and shock was pretty intense and had lasted until dessert, but I had managed to keep my secret, and that's all that matters, right? No one had to know about the time I had spent as his fuck buddy. Our fathers had been bitter business foes for years, and when Klaus had begun to take over about three years before I met him Mikaelson Industries had bloomed, and my father had grown a deep-seeded hatred for the man. And what is hotter than screwing the enemy?

Maybe what I liked most about Klaus though, was that he was such a puzzle. He didn't let anything about himself escape, ever. I had to discover his likes, desires, hates, enemies, lovers, what drove him crazy, everything really, by digging into him. I loved the challenge of a man that kept me on my toes about himself, his mysterious aura not one he maintained for just strangers. It wasn't a show either, he was just a person so private and tucked away that even his current women didn't know much of anything about him.

I scrub vigorously at my teeth to keep my mind from drifting. It sucked really how easily an attractive man with a hold over your heart can sneak into your life and infiltrate your thoughts when you haven't been laid in a while. And sadly, I haven't, and not so sadly, Klaus is very attractive.

I turn the knob for my shower, the cool metal against my overly warm skin soothing. My head is still buzzing from my over-compensation of alcohol and the recent interaction with the man I never thought I'd meet again. Something else is buzzing, too, but I force myself to ignore that. Bonnie, my rommate, will be home any minute and I can't be looking like a strung out sex kitten for a man that she doesn't even know about.

And a man that probably isn't even thinking about me.

I switch the dial to all the way hot. I need that. Sighing, I think about telling her about Klaus. It would be nice to get another opinion. Hear what someone else had to say about my non starter. But there is no point, I tell myself, because it's not going to go anywhere. Him and I are done, which we should have been from the start. If my father knew about how many nights I had spent in Klaus Mikaelson's bed, he would faint. And then wake up to strangle me.

Which, of course, only made me want Klaus more.

I gaze at myself in the fogging mirror. I'm tall and that makes it hard for me to wear heels but does that really matter when Klaus towers like he does? My hair is blonde and a little crazy from my definitely crazy night. I look at my skin and can remember times when his hands brushed against it, casually or not. He had always known how to get me ready. Even hours before he intended on giving me anything. Desperate blue eyes stare back at me.

I want to know what he's thinking right now, what he's doing. Has he found another woman for the night? It can't be that easy for him seeing me again, not after the look he had on his face. Intrigued.

I continue to think about the past even while my future is begging me not to as I strip for my shower, the steam eminating from it reminding me of a certain first time with a certain man.

..

I wrapped my trench tightly around my body, feigning confidence as I stepped out of the cab. In front of me is an sleek tower, tall and foreboding with a modern overhang. I walked forward, heels clicking and heart pounding, entering the revolving doors to the building of Klaus' home. Somehow I knew that I would be on the pre-approved list.

We had spoken twice in the past week since meeting him at the club on Saturday night. He had given me his address on call number two with a request to have dinner at his that night. I had refused, like good girls do. They stay away from the dangerously sexy men who call after them and seduce them in pools.

It was Friday night now, and I was done playing the innocent and nice girl act to the man trying and succeeding to seduce me. I walked over to the front desk, trying to ignore the wetness between my thighs. Excitement is a powerful thing.

"Hi, Caroline Forbes, I'm here to see-"

"Yes of course. I can send you right up." The very pretty older woman said with a quickness that suprised me, and she reached for the phone next to her, about to call Klaus' apartment to tell him of my arrival, I'm sure. The immediate reaction to my name has thrown me.

"Can you actually not call? I'm trying to surprise him." I said with as much charm as I could muster in my current state. This is definitely the most daring thing I've ever done, topping very closely to the pool incident.

"It's unusual, but okay." She said with a slight skepticism in her eyes and I smiled my best. I walked over to the elevators and let out an anxious breath. I'm not sure he's home, I'm not sure he's alone, but I am sure he wants this. And I want this, so screw it.

A minute or two later I found myself tapping at his door. It flies open to reveal a mouthwatering Klaus dressed for an evening out. My heart pounds. His eyes hungrily scan my body, confusion evident, probably finding my outfit of black high heels and black trench coat in the middle of summer on a Friday night a little strange.

"Caroline. Come in." He stepped aside and I walked in, noticing that he's wearing the leather jacket that he had on when we met. It made me yearn. "I love surprises." He closed the door behind him.

"Good." I said, and turned to face him. I'm all excited breathlessness and flushed cheeks. I didn't even have time to take in his apartment, which happened to be the penthouse, as I undid my belt and let my coat fall open. His eyes grew incredibly hot as he took in my fully nude body.

"I told you, the next time I saw you, I would reward you." I said softly and he stepped forward.

"Christ, Caroline." He growled darkly and I didn't think that I'd ever heard anything as sexy as a British man with an American edge saying my name like that. The risk was worth it. Then his hands were on me. He slipped an arm around my waist and pushed the trench fully off with the other. I was completely naked against his entirely clothed body.

"I knew you'd drive me crazy." His hands raced across my skin, the rough patches on his thumbs arousing me terribly. His hands on my skin felt incredibly right, a reprieve after a long week of waiting, and I knew I was going to fall apart. Finally he landed on my breasts and I whimpered. His touch was a soft reprimand when I tried to lean in for more and I understood how this was going to be. If I drive him crazy, he's going to make me insane with want.

"You only answer my calls twice this week, get me riled up with the sound of your voice, and then refuse to see me." His hands continued their gentle assault on my sensitive breasts and my head fell back, hanging onto his voice, slipping closer to his body. "Then you show up to my place, like this."

"You've been teasing me all this time with thoughts of this body naked under me, and you've been planning this?" He was grabbing wherever he could then, my body pliant to his exploraton."You're a little minx."

I smiled faintly with feminine triump as he grabbed onto my ass with both hands and lifted me up, suddenly carrying me to a very comfortable bed in a different room, walking easily down a hallway where I could do nothing but look into scorching eyes. Plush pillows comforted my head as the man above me demanded discomfort in the best way. He hovered over me, his body resting between my legs. I was aching. I reached up to feel my way along his back, even if he's clothed. His mouth captured me in a skillfull kiss that felt like a prelude. I moaned into it. Over the course of the week, I had missed these lips. Pulling away, he feathered me with kisses that left me wanting more.

"You're wearing the same jacket." I said with unvarnished excitement. "I have a thing for this." My hands brush over, feeling the fine material, rubbing the fine muscles under it.

"Do you? I'll wear it everyday."

"Who says you're going to see me everyday?" His lips dipped to my collarbone, sucking softly on the skin there.

"Here's to hoping." His hand travelled down towards my swollen center, but I slowed him with my impatience to get him naked. As much as I liked the jacket, I was panting to see him without it again. He let me have that and also tugged off his shirt and then he blanketed me again, his hand cupping my sex possessively.

"Caroline. You're so wet and tight, love. How long have you wanted me?" He asked in a voice that's demanding to be pleased.

"Since I saw you." He made a rumbling noise lowly and continued to push all of my buttons in the best possible way and within minutes I was writhing, freely begging for him to continue. I was quickly letting go of any inhibitions that may have been reserved, my body submitting to the pleasure I knew he'd give to me.

"You knew how good it's going to be between us, didn't you? You couldn't wait with this wet little pussy of yours. You shouldn't have taken this long, I would have relieved this days ago." He plunged a finger inside me. "And then you wouldn't have to be quite so desperate for me." He's a talker I was learning, and I was all the hotter for it. I could listen to him reading off Latin conjugations for hours and get turned on, and that's definitely not what he's doing. He pushed his single digit in and out of me, and my sex clenched selfishly, sucking for more even as he gave less.

"How greedy do you get?" He voice could be bottled for cologne and called sex. I whimpered in response, hips swiveling in eager anticipation for the orgasm that's hovering on the brink.

"Klaus." I moaned, his mouth now at my rosy and incredibly tender nipples. "Make me come." I commanded in a voice that I hoped sounded convincing.

"Not yet." He said against my breast, his stubble brushing against soft skin. That friction alone was turning me wild.

"Damn you. I need this." I said breathlessly, gasping further when he added another finger. He glanced up at me, his eyes like glittering sapphire. Ready to melt me.

"Do you?"

"Yes, god. Klaus, please." He said I drive him crazy? Yeah right. I'm insane with the need to come. He suddenly sat up, leaving me bereft of his fingers. I get a good look at his torso again, panting with pained need. He's lean, built, but not stocky. Intimidating to the point of me wanting to lick him head to toe. I reached down to undo his belt, his button, then his fly. He's commando underneath his jeans. Jealousy surged through me.

"Where the hell were you going like this?" I asked. I didn't stop undressing him though, and his dark look didn't falter.

"Tryng to burn off some steam." His jaw worked on a grind as I pushed his jeans all the way off, and I liked the look of it. "You've been teasing me all week, love, I'm not made of stone."

"Mm." I sat up and wrapped my fingers in his hair, my mouth at his ear, my tongue on his lobe. "If you for one second think you'll get away with seeing other women while I have you, you're a dead man Klaus Mikaelson." His answering growl was low and primal.

Klaus pushed me back onto the bed, and I was throbbing at the thought of such a man, so powerful and incredibly sexy, hot like this for me. I held on to his shoulders when he leaned over me to pull me into another kiss. It's taunting me for the ride of my life.

He grabbed a condom out of his forgotten pants and I slipped it onto him, taking a moment to feel his silky hardness, admiring my new favorite toy. It was wrapped velvet and my hands glided.

"Don't play me." I begged when he pulled away. I could feel his cock resting against my lips, teasing me. I grinded my hips for friction and he looked down at my sensual display of my passion. I breathed deeply, once. He lined himself up to my center. I was blazing hot and so was he.

"Fuck me instead."

Klaus rammed into me. I gasped, he groaned. This feeling couldn't be normal. With all his care to warm me up, I accepted him in one easy movement. He slid out and then back in, the turn of his lean hips creating the best imaginable rub inside me.

"This is what you've made me dream of all week." He gritted out. "Hard as hell in my office, my car, everywhere, and you haven't let me in." I moaned at the delectableness of his possession. His thumb started to brush at my clit.

"And this greedy little cunt has been desperate for me too, hasn't it?" My sex clenched around him in response. He smirked slightly, but it was strained. "Pushing yourself to push me?"

"The effect was worth it." I gasped out and he chuckled lowly, once.

"I'm an effect?" He asked with another sharp plunge of his steely cock into me. I pulled him down so that I could suck at that luscious lower lip for a moment.

"Sometimes, yes." I purred in answer, grinding my hips down for his next stab in. He groaned deeply, the thrum of his chest against mine sending shivers. I was so close to orgasm at this point, it was ridiculous. He wouldn't even have had to take his time like he had, and I'd fall apart. But he did and I'm tearing at the seams.

At a particularly masterful stroke of his cock in me, I orgasmed hard around him, clutching and calling.

"How's that for an effect?" Klaus bit out as he continued to dive. Through the haze of my orgasm I managed to wrap my legs around his hips, bringing him closer, needing more of his skin on mine. He obliged, letting me pull him down. It changed the angle at which he sank into me and I whimpered. His hand reached up to play with my nipples again, and within seconds I was incoherent again.

"Caroline. Let go now." And I did, as a low moan and his name fell from my open lips and a revolutionary orgasm rolled through me. He determinedly continued to fuck my brains out,and when the last wave pulsed through me he groaned sharply and came hard inside me. I clenched around him, but he dug.

 _I'm going to be ruined_ , that's my last thought before I succumb to the pleasure and orgasm yet again, losing thought of myself and releasing to this other distant place.

..

My hand is inbetween my legs when I come back to reality, the one where Klaus is definitely not inside me, and my shower is definitely empty. Not a sex god in sight. I try desperately to bring myself off, clutching at my breasts and rubbing myself under the stream of stinging hot water.

It's to no avail. My proximity to him earlier tonight and this onslaught of memories I'm experiencing now is blocking off any chance I have to do this myself. I need him. Screw him. Needing someone has always been an uncomfortable experience for me, my independence rioting against it. But with Klaus, he made me feel like it was natural to need someone, if only just one.

I shut the water off and collapse into bed, completely nude and entirely strained. I knew that if I called him he would be over in an instant and solve my problem, maybe more than once. But I won't give in that easy. There's a reason or two why I broke it off a year ago, and I'm not willing to let my sexual tension (however delicious his solution may be) ruin my obstinance.

(Just yet) the devil inside me whispers, because there is a certain inevitability of a man that makes you feel like he does to me. Powerful, passionate, needed.

I fall into a fitful sleep dreaming of leather jackets and wet sand.

..

 _All love for those who have left reviews._

 _xx._


	4. (iv) Avoiding the Torrent

Avoiding the Torrent

..

The next morning, Saturday, is met with the sharp smell of coffee and a wicked ache all over my body that refuses to abate. I pull the covers up over my shoulders and will the sun away so I can go back to sleep and avoid the day completely. Of course that doesn't happen, so I slowly rise from bed and head to the bathroom.

With a quick once over myself it's apparent that I slept like crap. My tossing and turning has left me with a serious case of dark circles and waxy skin. I brush my teeth and leave the mirror behind. I toss clothes on at random. Heading into the kitchen, I catch sight of Bonnie cheerfully cooking breakfast.

"Good morning." I half grumble as I approach and she turns around with raised eyebrows.

"Wow. That bad, huh?" Bonnie is a professional at not having hangovers, whereas I almost always forget the necessary water and medicine before collapsing in bed.

"Don't make fun of us weak people." I mutter with a small smile and she shrugs her shoulders.

"How was your date?" I ask so I can focus on someone else's love life rather than my own. Which is pretty much nonexistent.

"It was good. I've said it for a while now, but Dyan is seriously a keeper." I nod. She's deep in love with him, as is he with her, and seeing them together is one of the sweetest things I can imagine. They compliment one another.

I wondered, if given the chance, what would Klaus and I look like to my friends? Madly in love? Desperately attracted? Better off alone? I had no clue. They would definitely see the addiction in my eyes, at least.

"Hey, how was your night?" Bonnie asks casually as she pops bread into the toaster and leans against the counter to face me. I start the makings for a tea to maybe calm my raging stomach.

"It was okay. Nothing special." I lift the warm liquid to my mouth and blow softly. It's a lie, of course, since seeing Klaus is pretty much the most special of events. "Elena came along." Bonnie's eyes flood with irritation at the mention. She and Elena had a falling out two years ago, and before that we had all been the closest of friends. I was now stuck in the middle. I wanted nothing more than for them to make up so that it could be like old times, but some times cuts run deep and form ugly scars that can't be ignored.

A buzz from our intercom alerts my attention. Like the chipper being she is, Bonnie walks to it and answers.

"There's a delivery here for Caroline Forbes." I tilt my head and Bonnie looks a little confused. Did I do some drunk online shopping again?

"Send it up." Bonnie says and my curiosity is officially peaked.

When Bonnie opens the door there are two dozen white orchids wrapped beautifully, and my breath steals. Bonnie hands them to me with a knowing look and heads to eat her breakfast. I take in the smell of the stunning flowers. Fresh, inviting.

I notice a card attached. It's simple, and handwritten in a sloppy elegance that I've never seen before, but it's distinctly him.

I'm thinking about you. I know you are of me.  
See me.  
Klaus.

My heart is thudding with a little more umph while I read the card. Below is signed his number. Klaus always knew how to keep a woman completely wrapped up in him. There had been a time when I thought he was wrapped around my finger, too, but now I'm not sure.

How had I ever thought that this man cared? That I wasn't just another lay, albeit magnificent and not a one time thing, to add to his roster of conquered women?

The flowers are breathtaking and of course perfect for me, but they hurt a little too. Was this not the man that I had sworn off?

"So, who are they from? A secret admirer?" Bonnie kids as she walks over to clean up her dishes. Upon seeing the look on my face though, she sombers.

"Anyone I know?"

"No." I sigh. Technically she had met Klaus that night when I first met him, too. Now would be the perfect time to tell her everything. I hold back though, and I'm not sure why.

"I just, I just need a minute to decompress." I mutter as I pick up the flowers and the card and walk back to my room. Firmly shutting the door behind me I set down the flowers on my dresser. My mind is still throbbing in pain and is of course now clouded as well.

Does he know that simple gestures like this make women fall in love? The thought that he most likely does sucks a lot.

I'm incredibly tempted to call him. Our banter when were together was the source of some serious highs for me. I had snuck in talking to him whenever I could, texting him in lectures, answering his calls inbetween classes. Klaus never lacked in wit, and he always knew how to make me laugh or to make my toes curl at exactly the right moment.

Instead of calling him, I call my mom. It's been a while since we've talked.

"Caroline, sweetie?" Elizabeth Forbes answers on the first ring. Her voice manages to calm my nerves in that moment. There is just something about talking to your mom, at any age.

"Hi, mom. How are you?" I try not to let myself sound drained. My mom likes to worry a lot with things that shouldn't concern her.

"I'm good, doing well. Your father would like to hear from you too." Of course he would. We haven't really spoken since after my graduation from college, when he had become very offended that I didn't want to come work for him immediately. Sometimes having influential parents blows.

"I know, I know." I pause, risking at glance to my flowers and that vindictive card. "Listen, mom, would you maybe want to have a spa day today? I'm a little stressed and could use one." And I'd never known Liz to turn down a masseuse and some daughter bonding time.

"Of course! That would be lovely. I'll setup an appointment for an hour from now, is that good?" I calm further. A spa day really is just what I need to release this tension.

"Yeah, sounds great."

"I'll send a car, okay? See you then, sweetie."

"See you." I forcibly set my phone down away from me the, resisting the near irresistible temptation to call Klaus.

Instead, I absorb myself in my current read and wait for the hour to slip me by.

It did, and so did the spa trip, in a wonderful way. I leave feeling rejuvenated and refreshed, my hangover cured and it seemed to be that I was more clear in dealing with Klaus. My plan of action remains that he is a serious head trip, and I'm stepping off that train.

I arrive back to my shared apartment at five to the delicious smells of Bonnie cooking.

"Hi, honey, I'm home." I grin as I walk into the kitchen and she smirks. I'm starving already, despite the lunch I had with my mom.

"Hey." She continues to stir the pasta dish cooking away. "How's your mom?"

"She's my mom. Good, a little bit of a worry wart, but good." Bonnie nods. Over the years of our friendship, she's had some serious experience dealing with Liz.

"Let's go out. I need a girls night." Bonnie announces as she turns and I pop a grape from our counter into my mouth while I wait for her to finish up.

"Oh? What did Dyan do now?" Usually she spends Saturdays with him, if she doesn't get in a funk first. She's notorious for picking out the little flaws and throwing a drama fit, which Dyan managed to find endearing, at least for the time being.

"He's blowing me off for the guys." Bonnie rolls her eyes and I laugh.

"You need to give that man a break." I say as I start to set our little island with plates and cutlery.

"Whatever. I'll make it up to him later." She winks and I scoff.

"So, can we?" Two nights out in a row is usually not my thing, but I feel like blowing off steam still so I nod.

"Anything for you, Bonnie." I mock groan, but I'm excited for a girls night. In my zen state from the spa and my skin glowing instead of dull and lifeless I feel like I have a good chance for meeting someone nice, and distracting.

Nice. What a word I could never apply to Klaus. But I shut him out of my mind before I can get wrapped up.

We eat dinner in a perfect kind of comfortability that really only comes from the ease of friendship and knowing you have a fun night of carefree enjoyment ahead of you.

I walk into my room to get ready, and spot the flowers again. They're even more gorgeous in the dim lighting of late evening, dusk filtering through to highlight their brilliant whiteness. Their fragrance has filled my room.

I pick out a little black dress that's really just little more than anything else and a pair of black heels to match, going along with my dark and dangerous vibe.

I curl my hair messily and apply some makeup, eyeliner and the such, but not too much.

When I head out to the living room Bonnie is waiting for me, wearing a gorgeous red two piece jumpsuit that flatters her curves well.

"Damn, Caroline, you look hot!" Bonnie exclaims, and I smile, doing a small little curtsy. "Are you going to impress your new admirer?" I blush as I realize she means the guy who sent the flowers, which is Klaus.

"No, no. Just going to have a fun night with my girl." I say as I crook my arm through hers and we head to the elevator.

When I step outside the brisk fall night chills me, and I can just begin to see my breath in the air. With the cold electrifying me, I head into the city with one thought on my mind,

 _What am I going to get into?_

 _.._

We're two club skips in when a guy catches my attention. He's tallish with dark hair and a curved smile aimed my way. He picks up his drink and heads over to where I'm sitting on a stool. I've managed to keep myself at a nice buzzed level, and I'm proud.

"Hi, gorgeous." The guy sits down. He has warm brown eyes. "What's your name?"

"Caroline." I smile my best and he does the same. Maybe he can make me forget about a certain someone for a few minutes. "What's yours?"

"Brice." I nod appreciatively. Within a few more minutes of conversation, and some drinks, I'm able to tell he isn't really interested in just distracting me with some nice talk. Not that I can blame him, but he's got one thing on his mind right now.

"I'm actually just going to step outside for some air." I say as I stand up shakily, and he grins.

"I'll come with you." He stands too, and puts a very warm hand on my shoulder to steady me.

"It's okay, I'd rather you didn't." I say and push his hand gently off. I can tell he's begun to get the wrong impression of this conversation. "It was nice meeting you."

A little embarrassed and feeling a tad sick I walk out of the club, spotting Bonnie with a group of our friends who tagged along. I nod in her direction and motion I'll be just outside.

When I step into the cool air everything stills. I can breathe normally again and I take some time to center myself. Why am I feeling so off? It's like the world is tilting on the wrong angle.

"Hey, are you sure you want to be alone out here?" I turn to find that Brice has followed me. I frown.

"No really, you can go back inside, I'm good." I'm trying to cut it to this guy as nicely as I can.

"Oh, come on." He looks at me curiously and I shake my head. "You don't mean that."

"Yes I do." He steps forward and I step back. The last thing I want is an overzealous pursuing admirer.

He takes another two steps closer and I find I'm now too shaky on my feet, from the alcohol and from my nerves, so I stand there stupidly. Somewhere in the back of my mind dull alarm bells are ringing. I should have stayed inside.

"You're cold." He points out, and it's true, I'm shivering. "Let me warm you up." He says with a glimmer in his eyes that I'm sure usually works for him. I'm just not interested.

"Seriously, no." I say as I put my hand on his chest to push him back as he's come too close for comfort, and for breathing.

"Come on, you-"

"I'm going to cut in here." A low voice murmurs behind me. I turn in shock to find Klaus, in all his calm and sophisticated glory, standing just a few steps from me. He has as mask of devoid detachment on but I can't help but be incredibly happy to see him.

"You're going to leave now, aren't you?" Klaus says with a tone of casual authoritative threat. His voice is smooth armor. He comes up behind me and wraps his arm around my waist to pull me away with a comforting warmth and heated embrace. The two fold touch has me quivering in my inebriated state. Brice steps back.

"Hey, she didn't mention she has a boyfriend." Brice says with his hands up and a confused look. Klaus' arm tightens.

"Well, she's with me. And you're leaving now, or you will find trouble that you don't want." Klaus says, his mouth right next to my ear. I want nothing more than for Brice to walk away.

"Yeah, chill man, it's all good." He says with liquored ease and I'm grateful for the increasing distance as he walks back into the club.

I turn to face a very handsome and very good-smelling Klaus.

"I always find you in the middle of trouble." He mutters with something that sounds like regret.

"How did you know?"

"I have my sources." He says with practiced secrecy and I cock my head to the side.

"Oh, Klaus. Mr. Mikaelson. With all your secrets." I'll realize tomorrow how drunk I am, but for now my hand is brushing across his cheek and he's giving me a strange look.

"I used to be one of your secrets." I breathe, our faces inches apart. He jaw grinds, but doesn't answer me.

"Did you have someone following me?" I ask and drop my hand. Klaus has the wealth and access to such things, but I'm not sure he would find me worth that. His eyes narrow.

"No, I found out from a friend that saw you at your last club, and figured you were out looking for a screw." He steps closer to me, all warm breath and enticing smell. "I knew you'd be frustrated since seeing me again, but love? You should have just called me."

"And what? Gave in?" I place my hands on his chest and feel his warmth through the crisp white button down that he's wearing. It's the closest we've been to each other in a while. Touching him again is a sweet kind of torture. "No way." I breathe.

"You know you're going to."

"Unfortunately for you, not today." Despite what I've said, I lean into him, pressing my body to his. For the time being I'm letting myself have that touch and I'm taking full advantage. I look up into electric eyes. "You know, you're a hard man to forget."

"You never forgot me." He murmurs immediately and I frown. No, I didn't. He's right of course. I had managed to push him into a corner of my mind where he only existed in my darkest desires and dreams, a phantom of the man standing in front of me, but never did I completely lose track of him. Together we were unstoppable, magnetic. How do you erase that from your memory?

"Who are you here with?" He asks and the change of conversation bugs me.

"Bonnie and some other friends."

"Good. You can text them in the car that you're leaving."

"No, I'm not."

"Oh yes, you are." At that domineering stance which turns me on and aggravates me at the same time I push against him, escaping his arms. It's just for a moment since I trip on a crack in the concrete and stumble backward. He catches my arm, hauling me up before I can fall.

"And that is why you're going home." He says with a curve to his lips and I shrug. How can I argue with Mr. Blue eyes when I'm this drunk?

"Fine, okay fine." I pull out my phone from my clutch that I've managed to hold on to, and text Bonnie one-handed since Klaus has captured the other one and is pulling me to a waiting Mercedes parked at the curb. He tosses the keys to the man in a uniform standing outside the driver door, and then we slide in the back. A privacy glass that must have been custom made blocks us from the other man, but Klaus orders my address. We peel slowly away from the curb.

I look at Klaus leaning in the seat, facing forward, his long legs stretched out in front of him, not looking at me. His side profile is stunning, sharp lines and perfectly placed features. I can physically feel the effect he has on my body, as it softens and hardens in different areas, as my chest falls and rises more rapidly. Proximity to such an enticing and powerful man is so seductive. I scoot closer to him.

"Klaus." I whisper so quietly into his ear that it's merely a breath of something that could be his name. I've placed my hand on his sturdy shoulder, but he isn't touching me.

"You're right." I murmur against his neck, my hand brushing across his jaw now, willing him to face me. Refamiliarizing myself with him and all he has to offer a girl like me. "I didn't forget you."

"In fact," My hand one hand now touches along his thigh, "I missed you." His arm finally wraps around my back, gripping my hip, and he pulls me even closer to him. His touch, something that I crave even more intensely than my next breath, is like a hymn raining cool on heated skin. He turns to look at me, and in that instant I center solidly, finding my place, melting in his look.

"Damn right you did." He growls and then his mouth is on mine. That first kiss, after a year without him, is revolutionary. It's like drinking a cool glass of water on a hot summer day, water dripping down your hand, past your arm, cooling you even as you become hotter. Something that you've wanted for a long, long time. Could have been hours but felt like years. For me it really was.

Within seconds I'm wound up tight with desire, his tongue delving into my mouth to kiss me senseless, his arms banded around my back, securing me to his body. I let my tongue cross seductive lips, rediscovering him, tasting him, wanting him. At his urgence, I climb onto his lap.

My hands push into his hair, pulling and soothing. He places a hand on my ass to push me further into his lap. I can feel how hard he is for me even through my dress, which has slipped dangerously high.

I let my hand drop to his collarbone and I begin to undo the buttons to his sharp and well-fitted shirt. I undo them slowly, and he lets me. Desire simmers hot and inevitable in my veins as I unveil more of his gorgeous skin. Pulling away I look at my handiwork. Klaus looks up at me with eyes that are sweltering. Who made this man that is so perfect and so wrong for me? I lean back into him for a kiss that clings. His lips are sweet and soft but his kiss punishes and bruises. He's perfect.

He pulls away, though, with a sorrow lingering to my lips. His hands go to my upper arms to hold me back, steady and steel.

"Caroline." He's breathing hard, as am I, and his chest expands on a deep rumble. "You are temptation personified." Then he leans forward and places another kiss on my lips, to tease me I'm sure. His mouth stays close, hovering.

"But you're far too drunk. I can't have you regretting the time when I fuck you again." He murmurs with perfect eloquency, and I can feel his lips moving, that's how close he is.

"Unfair." I gasp, wanting nothing more than for me to be in his arms.

"Life." He agrees with a rasp that calls on my inner being.

"Come on." I moan, falling back against the seat, but I know he's right. I would be able to play it off like I was just drunk and it didn't mean anything, and I would hate myself for that excuse.

From then, it's a mostly silent car ride to my apartment, except for the fact that Klaus maintains constant contact, and that's like waves crashing loudly in my ears. Touching my bare knee, my upper thigh, stroking my palm, leaving goosebumps in a tempting wake. It's like our separation has been as hard for him as it has been for me.

That, I know can't be true.

When we arrive to my apartment Klaus immediately sets about getting me a glass of water. I perch on the stool at the island, watching his easy movements with envy. He sets it before me.

"Drink." He says with a serious tone but mirth in those mesmerizing eyes. I take a big gulp.

"You're so bossy." I comment, continuing to drink my water, though it does little to dampen my intoxication.

"Yes, but you like that." He adds and I frown. I do, actually. But really only when it comes from him. There is something about listening to a guy with his voice and his face tell you what to do.

I finish my glass and sit up straighter.

"Come here." I order and he smirks before crossing over to my side of the island. I part my knees as much as my dress will allow and then I pull him by the waist to stand between them. I look up into eyes that are quickly darkening.

"Caroline..." He trails, but his hands are wrapped around my hips.

"Shh." I lean up and offer my lips for a kiss, which he obliges to. I'm becoming addicted to his mouth again, and I want it on me, on my skin. But he keeps it chaste and pulls away. "Thank you for taking care of me." I say softly. He strokes a thumb across my cheek, my lips.

His eyes are now full of an emotion I can't identify. His hair is mussed from my urgent hands and he has carelessly left his top buttons undone. He looks good enough to eat.

"You're welcome, love." Then he kisses me again, like he can't help himself, stealing my breath. I wrap my arms around his shoulders, giving myself over in that kiss, melting into him. He lifts me up by my back and my ass and carries me towards my bedroom. I pull away from that mouth and kiss across his jaw, down his neck.

He sets me gently down on the bed and removes my heels, then leaves and looks through my closet until he finds what he deems sleep clothes. I lay back and watch him move. His head turns and catches sight of my flowers. His eyes harden.

Then he strolls back over.

"Flip over." I grin unabashedly and he shakes his head, but I do what I'm told. The next second I feel hot fingers at the zipper to my dress and then he tugs it slowly down. Does he mean to make me wild for him? I turn over onto my front, and he pulls the dress off. He admires his work for a moment, taking me in, his eyes on me. I'm not bashful because I'm still wasted, and because it's him.

"You've changed." He murmurs, leaning down so he's right in front of me, brushing his hands up my sides, running his thumbs under the scallop of my bra. "I like it." I sigh into his touch, wanting it harder, wanting more.

I reach around and unclip my bra and Klaus watches me, devouring me with eyes that taunt, but his hands are removed now. He offers me the top he chose and I slip it on, covering my furled nipples. A little silk nighty.

I scoot back onto the bed and burrow under the covers, and then pat the empty space next to me invitingly.

"Caroline, no." He runs a frustrated hand through his hair. "I don't have iron control and it's been a damn year since I've been with you." I would have to argue with his iron control denial. I've spent hours with the man in bed and can speak to the seductive contrary.

"So? You got what you wanted, I'm here and safe." I sit up a little so I can look directly at him. "Now I'm going to get what I want. Come here." Klaus contemplates this for a moment, but I uphold my demand and so with tension in his shoulders he pulls of his shoes and undoes his belt, and then climbs in with me.

It's the sweetest torment to have him lay next to me like this. I've given myself a free pass for the night on account of my past good behavior, but I don't know if I'll be able to bounce back from this. How can you let go of something so perfect? Fate is tempting me with the unattainable.

With his arms wrapped around me and my head tucked under his chin, I can tell how good he always smells, like memories and turntable Klaus. I can hear his heartbeat through his shirt. It's a bittersweet but very intimate moment. He's so close, but as usual really very far away.

"Promise me one thing." I whisper into his neck.

"Yes?"

"Don't leave me." I request into the darkness, and I can feel sleep creeping up on me before he answers.

"I never left you."

That hits home.

..

He's gone when I wake up.

..

 _Sorry for the wait, love and please review all!_

 _xx._


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